Don Blossom, a certified pediatrician for more than four decades, relives a personal journey from childhood through a long career in medicine. Occasionally, over the course of his career, he came to think of himself as a curandero, a folk healer who serves Native Americans and Hispanic America.

Before he found his calling, however, Blossom had to survive his youthful exuberance including a tour overseas as a US Army Special Forces paratrooper. After several months, he yearned to catch a glimpse of an American girl. He got his chance when he was honorably discharged and met Ellie, a beguiling lass from New Orleans. In love, he faced a future in medical school and other obstacles before realizing his dream of becoming a doctor.

Blossom succeeded, becoming a doctor in private practice in a small New Mexico community, just as the field of medicine experienced some serious changes. He recalls his many adventures in medical diagnosis, the demands of a professional career in pediatrics, and the evolution of his private and family life.

In his manuscript Blossom targets physicians & nurses, healthcare administrators & medical educators, parents & teachers, as well as the evolution of healthcare in America. Explore the daily life and responsibilities of a pediatrician working in a small town and join Blossom as he reminisces about his experiences in Alaska, Russia, New Zealand and beyond in "Curandero: A Physician's Life Journey."

Dr Alverson's story covers his early life experiences, through high school, World War II, his education and his involvement in State, Federal and International fisheries science and management. His career and story cover the period (1950-2000) during which world fisheries would explode from small boat coastal activities to distant water fleets of large vessels. World catches would increase over 300% after WWII and most of the worlds oceans and seas would be heavily exploited. Overfishing and impacts on coastal fisheries would lead the world community to seek new laws for the harvest of ocean fisheries and result in unilateral extension of national jurisdictions over ocean space. The growth of environmental movement in the later half of the 20th century would lead to conflicts between fishing and conservation groups resulting in changes in national and international fish policies. The book tracks many of these developments and DR Alverson's personal involvements and experiences during the traumatic period of world fishery expansion. During the course of his life marine fisheries resource would be seen as the great source of world protein to feed the worlds hungry and later as overfished and polluted.

"Darwin, Then and Now" is a journey through the most amazing story in the history of science; encapsulating who Darwin was, what he said and what scientists have discovered since the publication of "The Origin of Species" in 1859.

While recognized as one of the most influential individuals of the twentieth century, little is widely known about his personal life, interests, and motivations. This book explores Darwin's driving passion using Darwin's own words from "The Origin of Species," "Autobiography," "Voyage of the Beagle" and letters.

In retracing the roots of evolution from the Greeks, "Darwin, Then and Now" journeys through the dynamics of the eighteenth century that lead to the publication of "The Origin of Species" and the succeeding role of key players in the emerging evolution revolution.

"Darwin, Then and Now" examines Darwin's theory with more than three-hundred quotations from "The Origin of Species," spotlighting what Darwin said concerning the origin of species and natural selection using the American Museum of Natural History Darwin exhibit format.

With over one-thousand referenced quotations from scientists and historians, "Darwin, Then and Now" explores the scientific evidence over the past 150 years from the fossil record, molecular biology, embryology, and modern genetics. Join the blog at www.DarwinThenAndNow.com to post your comments and questions.

The definitive, internationally bestselling biography of Albert Einstein from the author of The Innovators, Steve Jobs and Benjamin Franklin. **Now the basis of Genius, the ten-part National Geographic series on the life of Albert Einstein, starring the Oscar, Emmy, and Tony Award-winning actor Geoffrey Rush** How did Einstein's mind work? What made him a genius? Isaacson's biography shows how Einstein's scientific imagination sprang from the rebellious nature of his personality. His fascinating story is a testament to the connection between creativity and freedom. Isaacson explores how an imaginative, impertinent patent clerk - a struggling father in a difficult marriage who couldn't get a teaching job or a doctorate - became the locksmith of the mysteries of the atom, and the universe. His success came from questioning conventional wisdom and marvelling at mysteries that struck others as mundane. This led him to embrace a morality and politics based on respect for free minds, free spirits and free individuals. Einstein, the classic No.1 New York Times bestseller, is a brilliantly acclaimed account of the most influential scientist of the twentieth century, 'An illuminating delight' New York Times 'Dramatic and revelatory' Sunday Times 'Beautifully written' Sunday Telegraph 'Astonishing' Mail on Sunday

Imagine that murdered primatologist Dr. Dian Fossey of Gorillas in the Mist fame were alive today and able to reflect upon her death as well as her legacy. This is the impetus behind author Georgianne Nienaber's compelling work, Gorilla Dreams: The Legacy of Dian Fossey. At the beginning of Gorilla Dreams, Fossey attends her own funeral and watches her murdered gorillas interacting with the graveside bystanders. She establishes a new relationship with the slain gorilla Digit, who acts as her guide after death as she carefully reviews her life, its challenges, successes, hardships, and the ultimate closure of her murder. Although Fossey's death is officially unsolved, recently released documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, as well as testimony from the International War Crimes Tribunal proceedings, offer new suspects, motives, and opportunities. Every fact about Fossey's life is meticulously annotated. However, the setting of her conversations with the murdered gorillas is obviously fictional, yet steeped in African tradition. the famed primatologist's life that honors the African belief that the dead live on in spiritual form.

Global business icon Richard Branson has written many books, but none have been more popular than his first memoir, 1998’s Losing My Virginity. Now he’s finally publishing his second volume of memoirs, covering all of his fascinating ups and downs of the past two decades.

In the two decades since Richard Branson wrote Losing My Virginity, his life and company have changed significantly. Now he brings his life story up to date, including all the successes and failures. He also shares his personal, intimate thoughts on five decades as the world’s ultimate entrepreneur, and his shift to focusing more and more on public service. See how Branson created hundreds of different companies, going from a houseboat to his own private island. Join him as he juggles working life with raising his children, sustaining his marriage, and creating a unique company culture. Discover how he created a new life on Necker Island, while continuing to grow the Virgin brand into all corners of the world. Get the real story behind his encounters with everyone from Bill Gates and Rupert Murdoch to Nelson Mandela and Beyoncé.

Go behind the scenes as Sir Richard Branson creates the world’s first commercial spaceline, Virgin Galactic, and handles the biggest crisis he has ever faced. Get under the skin of world record attempts on land, sea and air, and see how the original business hippy adapted to becoming a doting ‘grand-dude’ to his three grandchildren, Eva-Deia, Etta and Artie. This is the true account of how the Virgin Founder reinvented himself and his brand for the 21st C entury, while continuing to push boundaries, break rules and reach for the stars in more ways than one. This is the story of the man behind the beard, the business, the bravado and the brand. Find out how the ultimate entrepreneur did it for the first time - all over again.

While Francis Bacon continues to be considered the 'father' of modern experimental science, his writings are no longer given close attention by most historians and philosophers of science, let alone by scientists themselves. In this new book Dennis Desroches speaks up loudly for Bacon, showing how we have yet to surpass the fundamental theoretical insights that he offered towards producing scientific knowledge. The book first examines the critics who have led many generations of scholars - in fields as diverse as literary criticism, science studies, feminism, philosophy and history - to think of Bacon as an outmoded landmark in the history of ideas rather than a crucial thinker for our own day. Bacon's own work is seen to contain the best responses to these various forms of attack. Desroches then focuses on Bacon's "Novum Organum, The Advancement of Learning and De Augmentis", in order to discern the theoretical - rather than simply the empirical or utilitarian - nature of his programme for the 'renovation' of the natural sciences. The final part of the book draws startling links between Bacon and one of the twentieth century's most important historians/philosophers of science, Thomas Kuhn, discerning in Kuhn's work a reprise of many of Bacon's fundamental ideas - despite Kuhn's clear attempt to reject Bacon as a significant contributor to the way we think about scientific practice today. Desroches concludes, then, that Bacon was not simply the 'father' of modern science - he is still in the process of 'fathering' it.

Barbara Maddox was living a fairly normal and happy existence. Newly married, she was reaching the pinnacle of success as a regional sales manager at a large corporation and enjoying a fun social life with family and friends. And then her body started to betray her with what she thought were work-related, stress-induced health problems. After several months of worsening symptoms and a frustrating search for answers, she found herself in the emergency room one Sunday afternoon, completely exhausted and missing half of her blood. Within two hours of testing and prodding, she learned her fate: Cancer had spread throughout her lymph nodes. Mashed Potatoes and Gravy is Barb's brave and poignant accounting of how she managed through months of aggressive chemotherapy, three hospital stays, two serious blood infections, and acute mental depression. Along the way she discovers the importance of love, family, and friends as her spiritual world expands and she asks some deep, penetrating questions about life and our very existence. Written with raw emotion, and sprinkled with a good dose of humor, her story will leave readers inspired as they cheer her on through the unpredictable twists and turns on her journey toward conquering stage IV Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Along her 30 year nursing career path, Kathy Mercurio has been privileged to learn some of life's most important lessons. Often, the "teachers" were unsuspecting, unintentional educators in the form of patients, their family members and friends. Join Kathy in learning and sharing some light moments, dark days and hard-learned lessons in the pages of this intimate look at the Art of Nursing and the Life's Lessons that are imparted.

Dr. Stribling was only twenty-six years old in 1836 when he became head of Western State hospital. Then, every institution for the insane in the South, and all but a very few in the remainder of the country, were little more than penitentiaries. Dr. Robert Hansen, superintendent of Western State Hospital, wrote in 1967, "In an age of the common man, Dr. Stribling possessed an uncommon and profound knowledge of human nature, and the importance of human relationships. He believed that the drives, interests, and needs of the insane were the same as those of others, and that satisfaction of them through human relationships, would help restore their reason." Stribling recognized that insanity was a disease that if treated early, was curable. He used medical and moral therapy, separately or in concert, to cure his patients. Moral medicine included early treatment, separating the violent from those who could be cured, eliminating restraints whenever possible, providing patients with nutritious food, occupation, exercise, amusements and religious services. Caretakers were instructed how to increase their patients' self-esteem, especially by being their friend. Stribling's efforts to admit only patients who could be cured resulted in a bitter dispute in the early 1840s between him and Dr. John Minson. Galt was head of Eastern State Hospital, the first institution in the Colonies built for the treatment of the insane. Soon thereafter, Stribling rewrote Virginia's laws concerning the insane to conform to his admission policies. In 1852, Stribling and his directors defended themselves against charges by Captain Randolph that they abused their patients. Randolph's son had been a patient at Western State. During the Civil War Stribling managed to provide for his patients even after Sheridan's troops sacked his hospital. The daily lives of slave servants are described and also the different approaches taken by Stribling and Galt provide for insane free blacks and insane slaves. The similarities and differences between the two young doctors are examined. (Stribling was twenty-six and Galt twenty-two when they assumed their positions.) Letters between Dr. Stribling and Dorothea Dix from 1849 until 1860 describe a deep and intimate friendship. Mrs. Stribling's letter to her eighteen-year-old son while he was a prisoner of war is probably representative of many letters from other mothers in the South and North who were in a similar situation. After the war, Stribing was successful after he petitioned Congress to keep his job. His reconciliation speech at the superintendents' meeting in Boston in 1868 was highly praised by his fellow superintendents and the Boston press. Dr. Stribling died in 1874.

Living with a Miracle is a compelling story of a mother's love and desperate attempt to build a life and family while fighting for her child's life. was born. Elation is not strong enough to express the joy of becoming a mother. murmur. Being a nurse, I was concerned but had no reason to believe it was anything life threatening, many children are born with heart murmurs and lead a normal life. That evening after our celebration dinner, we returned to the nursery to see Syra. However, our celebration quickly turned into a nightmare. Life Flight was flying our baby to a children's hospital two hours away. Only two days old following a heart catherization, we were told Syra had a rare and lethal heart defect. their journey together against impossible odds.